could this be panic attacks or anxiety or what?

Question

in the past i was always outgoing, life and soul of the party but for 13 years i have been on ant-idepressents and had various alternative therapy ect. when i am i a social situation of any kind i get edgy and panicky then clam up and my mind always goes blank, i feel stupid and embarressed. i have been to doctors thay only always put it down to anxiety, but i am begining to wonder. i am in mt late thirties and been single for 2 years only because of this problem. people think i am so easy-going and i am but cant seem to handle social situations bcause of this problem. i do try, to calm myself and breath but it only gets worse, and i have noticed people looking at me a bit weird, as like i say one minute i am fine but in more than 5 mins i go all perculiar. this has happened for years

Answer 1

get rid of the pills they are what are messing you up

Answer 2

It's not just you, it's a lot of people. Now I am pretty secure in most settings, but sometimes I get that way, and I realized that it's only when I'm feeling inferior in some way. If you believe you will lose, you have already lost. If you think you are outclassed you are. You have to feel totally comfortable with yourself and not care what anyone thinks. That's easy to say and still somewhat hard to do. Actually even people often said to be ugly always look better when they are confident. Be confident and don't try to fit in. All in all, it is something that will come and go and soon you will learn to push that feeling away more and more. Good Luck, just baby steps at first and then the world.

Answer 3

It does sound like an anxiety problem. Also if you have been single only two years, you are used to being with someone at social occasions. The worst thing to do for your depression is to avoid social situations though. Please talk to your doctor about this and keep track of any physical changes you go through in these situations.

Good luck to you. I hope things improve for you.

Answer 4

This sounds like a security problem. there is a point in your mind, somewhere, subconsciously, even, that you may not fit into this crowd, although when you first enter, you feel you are fine.
Even if others in your social circle seem to accept you, there is a small part of your mind that won't realize this and as this thought progresses, so does your feeling of anxiety and you are made more and more uncomfortable....you need to work on your psyche and accept yourself as you are, so that others will do the same, no one is better than anyone else, keep that in mind.

Answer 5

The answer to your your question is BOTH.
Anxiety is a well known cause of panic attacks, the thing you have to do is discover what is causes youre anxiety ( i know easier said than done!),
You also mention that u have been on ant-depressants if u are still taking this medication this could be causing the forgetfulness. Unfortnunately this is one of the common side effects of these drugs.
However, after suffering from this anxiety state for so long i would go back to ur dr's and ask him about counselling.
The *Subconscious* mind stores memories from yrs ago back to childhoood, also things we have experienced that we have at the time found too painful to deal with as a result pushed to the back of our minds until some-thing triggers the event even though inititially maybe not the full event to become re-awakened. This may be something as simple as a sound, word, some-thing u see anything at all.
In this scenario which sounds most likely although the full extent of the event is still supprressed by your subconsious memory but now it cannot be suppressed totally therefore as a result anxiety and panick attacks set in.
Whatever the cause of your anxiety needs to be sorted out as soon as possible counselling can help u in this respect but you have to be referred by your dr.
Your counsellor will work with you usually on a weekly basis initially to discover the root cause of your problem ( please dont be suprised if u do discover it is related to childhood as it very often is ). Your counselor will after a few sessions with you decided which type of counselling would work best for you. After which both yourself and counselor will work together to not just find find the root cause but as to why it affects u to the degree it does.
From everything u have said u want to this to end now and are not adverse to trying new methods of approach, However, counselling can be hard as contary to what many ppl believe your consellor will NOT give you the answer. You yourself will know when you have got the answer. The counsellor will be there for u and obviously u can ask questions and they will offer methods of how you personally can accept the problem and move on. If one couse of action does not work for u then they will suggest others that could it is then a proccess of illimination until u discover the method that works for u. This may sound as though you will have to go through various methods before u find the right one but usually u find it within a couple of attempts.
Do not be suprised if the root cause of your problem is far from what you thought it would be or maybe it sounds rather too childish now to affect u so long after the actual event but this is normal.
The information u have provided is extremely revealing as alot of ppl with an extroverial personality can have a tendancy to experience some kind of anxiety disorder some time in their life. Though i hasten to add not all. Also, the age onset of your anxiety is profoundly common.
Should your dr. dissmiss ur request to see a counsellor dont give up if u wish u try this avenue. As he knows your history keep reminding him of this fact as medication long term cost the NHS far more than a referal to see a counsellor.Also, as time progressess u may find your yourself relying on medication more and more until addiction sets in then it will be a case of increasing medication / changing medication etc. which i'm sure you'll agree is a place u do not want to go.
Also remember your rights, should u wish to try counselling and your dr. refuses EVERY-ONE has the right to ask for a 2nd opinion and as anxiety related conditions are more prevalent than ever in todays stressfull society and addiction to the medication is just as prevalent i doubt your dr. will refuse your request. For until u have actualy dealt with the underlying cause of this condition it will remain with you.
I wish you all the very best and hope that u will in the near future be living a life free from your axiety and panic attacks.......

Answer 6

possibly anti-social disorder which can be form of anxiety. You may want to try certain exercises to build this. Esteem is the first. There are books for this just look. The Power of Now, by Eckert Tolle is great and "The purpose driven life" by rick warren.. You can do it. DOn't shut yourself up in a closet. Life is way toooooooo short.. goodluck.. IM me and we can talk.. I had the same thing.

Answer 7

Sounds like panic attacks & they seem to be slowly making you depressed. I can relate. The breathing only made me hyper-ventilate more. Trust me, people aren't looking at you strangly. it's all part & parcel of the anxiety. My suggestion is to go a specialist who can treat the problem with talk & drugs.

Answer 8

you could get some rescue remedy from boot or a herbal shop it does work i suffer both you said I'm anxiety i get nerves paranoid thinking people talking about me laughing etc looking at me panicky attack find it hard to breath sometimes pain under boobs shakes yawning thirsty sweating headaches

Answer 9

It sounds like you have developed a phobia for being in social situations. I do not recall the name. Agoraphobia?? Some mental health specialists try to desensitize patients to phobias.

Answer 10

your life is extremely similar to mine
i'm a shell of who i used to be
counselling is helping me , give it a try you never know until you try it yourself

Answer 11

you do need help , counsellor may be the best route, i feel that if you talk it through it will gradually ease. have you any friends.